बभूव तव तत् सैन्यं शङ्खशब्दसमीरितम् ॥
उद्विग्नरथनागाश्वम् अस्वस्थम् इव चाभिभो ॥
तत् प्रयुक्तम् इवाकाशं शूरैः शङ्खनिनादितम् ॥
बभूव भृशम् उद्विग्नं निर्घातैर् इव नादितम् ॥
स शब्दः सुमहान् राजन् दिशः सर्वा व्यनादयत् ॥
त्रासयाम् आस तत् सैन्यं युगान्त इव संभृतः ॥
babhūva tava tat sainyaṃ śaṅkhaśabdasamīritam ||
udvignarathanāgāśvam asvastham iva cābhibho ||
tat prayuktam ivākāśaṃ śūraiḥ śaṅkhanināditam ||
babhūva bhṛśam udvignaṃ nirghātair iva nāditam ||
sa śabdaḥ sumahān rājan diśaḥ sarvā vyanādayat ||
trāsayām āsa tat sainyaṃ yugānta iva saṃbhṛtaḥ ||
That army of yours became stirred up by the sound of conches, with chariots, elephants, and horses thrown into alarm, as if fallen ill, O lord. That [army], as though fused with the sky, resounded by heroes with conches, became extremely agitated, as if resounding with thunderbolts. That immense sound, O king, resounded through all quarters and terrified that army, as if [thunder] gathered at the end of the age.
efb0687f3724 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:52:56 PM UTC
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Though the Kauravas themselves blew their conches in answer, your army was "asvastham iva", as if fallen ill: their own noise did not calm the dread, for the fear was within. The voice of the conches of Krishna and Arjuna, though, was "yugānta iva saṃbhṛtaḥ", like thunder at the close of the age, a herald of universal end. It is telling that outward din cannot drown an inward trembling. The verse teaches that a terrified heart is not soothed by an answering noise, and where there is no firmness of spirit, the loudest cry only lays bare its weakness.